Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016, dir. David Yates) was entertaining but lacking much energy or tension.  The second entry in the franchise The Crimes of Grindlewald (2018, dir. David Yates) is better: things of importance are at stake, evil is afoot in the guise of Johnny Depp as Grindlewald, we visit Hogwarts and meet a relatively young Dumbledore (Jude Law).  A few moments recapture the magic of the best of the Harry Potter films, but for the most part this one is as a whole less than that.  State of the arts DGI and motion capture produce truly fantastic beasts, especially Zouwou, a lion-like, dragon-like, spidery terror, which Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) manages to tame. As impressive as these creations are, there’s no doubt that they are DGI creations, that they are not real.  That actually isn’t a problem with the film. They’re part of its métier.  You accept them for what they are.  Children won’t care, though younger ones may be cowed.

The Harry Potter films benefitted from the backstory, the details, and context provided by the Rowling novels.  Many readers would have read her books and brought their knowledge of Hogwarts to their viewing of the film.  In Fantastic Beasts viewers don’t have that advantage.  As a result, this viewer found himself frequently wondering exactly what was going on, who the characters were, their histories, and so on. And I think the Potter films do a better job with exposition. But the general battle of good and evil was clear enough, and we’re introduced to characters who will clearly play important roles in the next installment, especially the character Credence (Ezra Miller), who learns from Grindlewald that he is Dumbledore’s brother Aurelius and also his bitter enemy.  A battle is in the offing (i.e., next film, to be continued, etc).

Depp is hardly recognizable as Grindlewald.  Redmayne’s acting remains odd and affected.  His character is clearly not a conventional one, and at times given his mannerisms, avoidance of physical contact, difficulties communicating, preference for fantastic beasts over people, we wonder whether he is on the spectrum. At least in the end he manages a meaningful kiss with Tina, an auror to whom he has been attracted throughout the film. I’m not sure Redmayne is right for the role, but he manages.

A major problem here is that the Fantastic Beasts films lack the engaging young characters of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and other Hogworts students who were at the center of the Potter films. Adults can’t measure up.